


(Un)Lucky Midnight

by asphaltcowgrrl



Series: Romani Detective short fics [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-17
Updated: 2015-09-17
Packaged: 2018-04-21 06:03:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4817831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asphaltcowgrrl/pseuds/asphaltcowgrrl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>New Year’s Eve sucks when you’re alone.  It sucks even more when the one you want is scoping out someone else.  And when that someone is your womanizer of a partner, things only get more complicated.  Will this New Year bring Andrej everything he's ever wanted or will Zayne continue to be oblivious to his partner's affections?</p>
            </blockquote>





	(Un)Lucky Midnight

**Author's Note:**

> I waver back and forth between fanfic and original fic, even though the original work gets little to no love. Hopefully someone enjoys this new world of mine.

_New Year’s Eve_.  As far as holidays went, it ranked second only after Valentine’s Day for making single people feel even lonelier than they did any other day of the year.  Despite wishing otherwise, robbery homicide DetectiveAndrej Zeklos found he wasn’t quite as immune to the pervading feeling of _aloneness_ on this night as he had hoped.  Never mind the fact that the oddest things were kicking him in the gut tonight.

_Case in point_ : his womanizing, wayward partner on the other side of the room, casing the joint for eligible females. 

Shoving his hands into his pockets, Zek watched the handsome Tejano detective as he chatted up a pretty blonde he’d never seen before.  Her soft brown eyes fixated on his partner, making him seem like the only man in the room.  Andrej pegged her as a badge bunny, and that concerned him.  Not because he didn’t think Reyes could handle her, but because she was only after him for the thrill of screwing a cop and nothing more.  Reyes needed to settle the hell down and stop chasing skirts.  Might help him focus on work more. 

However, since Zayne never missed a day of work, there wasn’t much he could say.  And that pissed him off. 

“Can I get you a drink, Detective?” 

He turned towards the sound of the voice and smiled at the pair of pretty blue eyes looking back at him.  “No thanks, Trish,” he replied, waving her off.

“Aw, but it’s New Year’s Eve, Zek honey.”  She pushed her bottom lip out into an exaggerated pout before breaking into another blazing smile.  “Not even one glass of champagne?”

He lifted his eyes from her sweet face and swept them across the room, only briefly landing on his partner before moving on.  Reyes was still entertaining the petite blonde, stabbing him in the gut yet again.  _Maybe one glass won’t hurt?_ “I don’t generally drink, you know that.”  It was an unspoken rule with him.

“Yeah,” she said, drawing the word out into three singsong syllables.  “But I thought I’d ask anyway.  Just in case.”

Reyes passed through his line of vision again, this time with his arm draped around the little flirt’s shoulders.  Andrej’s lower lip found its way between his teeth, caught between their unhappy grasp.  He resisted the urge to gnaw on his flesh out of frustration.  “What the hell, I’ll take a glass since you seem to have a spare.  _Noroc_ ,” he toasted, tipping the crystal flute in her direction before downing it in one swallow. 

Trish frowned at him for a moment before following the line of his troubled gaze.  “Ah,” she muttered, shoulder-bumping him playfully.  “I get it now.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”  He’d taken great care to keep his personal life out of the precinct, his non-existent love life especially.  It wasn’t likely that she knew, but he was afraid to assume when it came to something like this. 

“You’re not used to having to share your partner, are you?”  She tilted her head, waiting for his response. 

_Damnit, she did know._   “I don’t –,” he began, before realizing she meant ‘sharing’ in the most common sense.  Relieved, he shook his head, angry at himself for jumping to conclusions.  “I am not used to it, no.  We generally aren’t seen together in public after hours.  It is… difficult to see him spending time with someone when my instincts are that he should be with me.”  It was mostly the truth and it kept him from having to explain what might become a very sticky situation otherwise. 

How did you even go about staring that conversation anyway?

“Well, he’ll be done with her by morning and on to the next, so I wouldn’t worry too much if I were you, Andrej.”

The use of his given name gave him pause.  It was common amongst police, firemen and other assorted public servants to always address the other by their surname or rank.  Rarely did anyone ever use someone’s given name.  However, this was a party, even if it was being hosted by their precinct’s commander.  It still stunned him, however, because he was nearly certain she’d never referred to him by anything other than the shortened version of his own last name – _Zek_. 

“I do believe we’re all aware of how well he’s able to run through every willing and able-bodied woman he comes into contact with.”  Reyes only made it painfully obvious to anyone watching that he had mad skills with the ladies. 

She winked as she moved away with her glass of champagne. “Be glad you’re not among them.” 

_Be glad my ass_ , he thought.  Hillary Maxwell, Trish’s partner, caught his eye and waved.  He gave her a half salute in response and moved towards the convention room’s outer doors leading into a hallway that lead to the casino proper.  Standing in the hall, he took a deep breath.  Being on the far end of the gaming floor, the air was fresher here than farther down the way, even though the thick odor of eau du cigarette still hung heavy in the atmosphere. 

Why did Reyes have to constantly exhibit his adamant heterosexuality?  _Can’t he see he makes me crazy_?  Frowning, he turned left and headed for the doors that lead outside instead of right and the casino.  The crisp, desert air filled his nostrils and he inhaled deeply.  Leaning against the wall of the newest addition to the city’s collection of gaming establishments, he closed his eyes. 

_A better question would be why do you constantly fall for the wrong sort of guy?_

Pushing off the wall, he raked his fingers angrily through his hair.  It didn’t matter the circumstances, he always did this to himself.  Somehow, he always managed to become attracted to the worst kind of man – straight ones.  It started in high school with the campus jock and got progressively worse from there. 

It really shouldn’t surprise him in the least then, that he’d fallen hard for his partner.  He was, after all, a hot commodity, in those skin-tight jeans and worn Lucchese boots on his feet.  All he was missing from his homegrown ensemble was a Stetson, but Zayne was too proud of his hair to ever cover it with a hat.  Zek forced out a harsh breath, pacing the small stretch of concrete. 

_I should’ve transferred when I had the chance._

The door opened behind him, startling him out of his self-flagellation.  “Hey, gypsy boy, come inside.  It’s almost midnight.”

Zek grunted, deciding to ignore the insult to his Romani heritage.  There were days when he wished he’d simply stated that he was a Romanian immigrant and left his distinctive heritage out of it.  “Gotta admit, Reyes,” he said, a tinge of jealousy leaking into his voice, “I’m shocked you’re still here.  Figured you and that little hippity-hop would have fled the scene by now.”

Reyes looked mildly annoyed for approximately four seconds before his exquisite face split into a tequila-laced grin.  “Naw man, she’s cute and all, but she’s not _you_ , now is she?”

Swallowing the panic he felt rising in his chest, Andrej reminded himself that Zayne was not just drunk, but a flatterer and a flirt by nature. “Not many are,” he replied, not feeling the confidence he projected.  “Does this mean you’re taking me home after?”

Reyes held the door open so he could pass through.  Safely back inside, he chuckled softly.  “With as much as I’ve had tonight, Zek, _you’ll_ be taking _me_ home tonight.”

He sighed, weary.  _If only_.  Checking his watch, he took hold of his partner’s arm and steered him back inside the convention room they’d been using for the party.  “I hope you didn’t drag me back inside to watch you slobber over some chick.”

“Would I do that to you?”

_Yes, you would – and have – many times._ He decided not to push his luck and remained silent.  Trish sidled up beside him, slipping her arm through his.  Andrej squeezed her arm against his side.  “And so we meet again.”

“Yes, well, I can’t ring in the new year without kissing _someone_ , right?”  She shook her adorable head and winked at him.  “I figure you’re the hottest guy in the room tonight, so I might as well latch onto you before someone else does.”

Zek laughed loudly at the idea he was the hottest male in the room.  “But what about him,” he asked, inclining his head towards his partner.

“He’s a slut,” she giggled, making a joke they all shared in.  “Aren’t you?”

“Absolutely,” Reyes agreed, unashamed.  “You want to be next?”

“No thank you, Hil’s told me entirely too much about your sexual acrobatics for my own comfort.”

The crowd of officers and office workers surrounding them began the countdown, interrupting their discussion of Zayne’s faults.  Zek noticed Hilary had found her way to their little group and had looped a casual arm around Reyes’ waist.  He couldn’t help but smile at the will of humans to simply be with someone at moments like this.

Much like himself with Trish, he had to admit.  But he liked her, she was perky and intelligent and one hell of a cop.  When the crowd hit one, they all shouted, “Happy New Year” loudly enough to rattle the walls and echo down the halls.  Turning to his momentary date, he gave her a brief brush of the lips in celebration, neither really wanting nor expecting anything more.  She tasted of champagne and strawberries and it was the nicest thing he’d encountered all night. 

“Happy New Year, Trish,” he said, giving her a genuine hug.  He might not be able to pull off a real, passionate kiss with a female, but he could hug the hell out of her at a moment’s provocation. 

“Thanks, gorgeous.  Same to you,” she said, giving him a secondary kiss on the cheek. 

He released her so she could make her way around the room, hugging and kissing her way through her co-workers.  Andrej lifted a hand to ruffle his wayward bangs when a shoulder bump distracted him.  Giving a sidelong look to his partner, he lifted an eyebrow, waiting for an explanation. 

“Happy New Year, buddy,” Zayne said, eyes afire with the tequila he’d imbibed. 

Zek gave him a long, critical look.  He was still solid on his feet, but the expressive grin on his face told a more interesting story.  It was rare that the detective overindulged, but it was becoming apparent that tonight had been an exception to his self-imposed restraint. 

“Happy New Year, Zayne,” he responded, sticking his hand out for a manly sort of shake. 

“Aw, screw the handshake, man,” he laughed, giving a hard jerk to Andrej’s outstretched hand. 

Stumbling, he tripped forward and smacked soundly into his partner’s chest, swathing him in a delicious mixture of sweat and musky cologne.  A cordial arm snaked around his middle, holding him close to the source of all his frustrations and fantasies.   He fought the urge to melt into Zayne’s embrace and lost to his body’s inevitable betrayal.  Their bodies melded together in a friendly hug that bordered on something so much more for Zek, something he wasn’t inclined to think on in that moment. 

He’d dwell on the ramifications of it later.   

“Zayne, I –” His protest was stopped in its tracks by the wet press of a pair of lips to his neck. 

In a moment, they were gone, leaving a damp imprint of where they’d been a second before.  “Goodnight, Zeklos.  I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Night, Reyes,” he muttered, watching his partner stumble off and link arms with Hilary again.  He touched his neck absently, wondering what the hell it all meant, if it meant anything at all. 

“And you thought he hated you,” Trish giggled in his ear.  “I guess we were both wrong.”

_We can only hope_ , he begged.  “You need a ride home?  I’ll be happy to drop you off.”

“You know what, Detective?  I think I’ll take you up on that offer,” she accepted, sliding her arms into her jacket.

“Good.”  _Maybe you can keep my mind off of this mess until I’m finally alone again._

No promises. 


End file.
